


Open Your Eyes, You’re Home Now

by NamelesslyNightlock, Rabentochter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Endgame Fix-It, Feels, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Frigga is a Good Mom, Getting Together, Happy, Happy Ending, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Endgame, Romantic Fluff, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 17:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18609394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabentochter/pseuds/Rabentochter
Summary: ENDGAME SPOILERSTony had hoped he could have apeacefulrest. He should have known that being stuck in the same place as a god of mischief would only result in the exact opposite.





	Open Your Eyes, You’re Home Now

**Author's Note:**

> Endgame killed us both and this was actually pretty healing to write. We hope it helps all of you, as well!  
>   
> Obviously, this will contain endgame spoilers. Since this is post-endgame, it does have mcd in it– but it is not tagged, because this fic takes place post death, so. It’s fine. Unless you haven’t watched it, in which case you just spoiled yourself. Congratulations :D  
>   
> (SELF INDULGENCE IS THE KEY)  
> 

As Tony drifted, there were a few words that floated through his mind, a memory that he hadn’t quite been able to grasp, something right on the edge of not quite there.

 _You can rest now_.

Oh, rest. It was a foreign concept, not something that Tony had ever quite been able to achieve. Even in sleep, even _now_ so many years later his mind was often plagued with shadows, and whenever he was awake he would go through everything that had happened over and over and over again.

How many futures had Strange seen? Fourteen million?

Tony was sure he had considered far more permutations than that.

Pepper helped, she kept him grounded– she reminded him of all that he had fought for. And when he first held Morgan in his arms, he began to think that all of it, everything he had been through had been _worth_ it, just for this.

For his _family_.

He’d been… content. It had been _enough_ , and enough was something that he thought he would never be fortunate to achieve. He could have hidden away by that lake, he could have stayed in his tiny, comfortable corner of peace if the Avengers hadn’t come knocking on his door and brought the rest of the world flooding back in.

It wasn’t that he was ignorant, or even _capable_ of ignoring it– he _knew_ the world was broken, because his mind would not let him forget it.

They had been lucky. There were so many who were less fortunate.

The list of the vanished had been so impossibly long, and the number of those who were gone had been far too large to comprehend. And of course, then there were the ones that Tony had known, his teammates, his friends...

_And Peter._

So many people, so many gone. So many broken families, so much love lost.

 _We’ll be okay_.

“Oh, Tony. My brave, clever boy.”

If he concentrated, he could feel a hand running through his greying hair, calming and soft.

Death was oddly… peaceful. He had always expected that the end would come in a struggle– and he supposed, in a way, it had. After all, what could _be_ more of a struggle than a battle for the fate of the world? For the fate of the whole _universe?_ In the moment where he had snapped his fingers it certainly hadn’t been _peaceful_ – he had accepted what was going to happen, he knew what it meant, but his mind was blazing with determination and fierce resolve. The world and everyone in it needed saving, and by god was Tony going to save them _all_.

It was only after, when he knew it was done, when he knew they had _won_ that he was able to take a breath and let go. His arm hurt, his face as well, it _burned_ , but in a detached kind of way that didn’t quite register amongst the overwhelming relief.

He had done it.

Everyone else was _safe_ , and he…

Well.

He could _rest_.

“Tony, you can open your eyes now. You’re home.”

Tony felt his brow crease into a frown, because that voice… was impossible. There was no evidence to support any of this, nothing that would even _suggest_ the scientific possibility of—

But then, there was no evidence against it either, was there? Save the people who had been dusted – who had no memory of it regardless and therefore did not count – there was no one who could say for sure what happened when a person died. Oh, of course there were theories, there always had been for as long as humans were capable of conceptualising what death _is_ , but… no one ever knew for sure.

So didn’t that mean that anything could be true?

Slowly, Tony drew in a breath. If he opened his eyes, he would have his answer. He would know what no one alive ever could.

Maybe, someone else might have paused. If he opened his eyes and there was nothing there, then his hopes would be dashed. So long as he stayed ignorant, it could be anything—

But he was Tony Stark, and he always needed to _know_.

He opened his eyes with same curiosity and determination with which he had approached everything for the entire time he had been alive– and when he saw the familiar face leaning over him, her eyes gleaming with such love… he was rendered entirely speechless.

“Hello, Tony,” Maria said. “I have missed you.”

“ _Mom_ ,” Tony gasped– he reached up and threw his arms around her shoulders, pulling himself up just as much as he was pulling her down. She looked so well, so impossibly young– younger than she had been when Tony was born. But he knew it was her in the same way that he knew he was still himself, and he held her as close as he could.

“Tony,” she said again, her voice curling around his name as if she could not stop herself from saying it. “I am _so_ proud of you.”

His breath tore from him in a sob, though all he felt was _happiness_.

She held him close and continued to stroke his hair, and as his breathing began to slow, he began to _think_.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t enough. It was that if she was here…

“Is anyone else...?” He looked up and held her gaze, unable to curb the pure hope.

She smiled, and glanced over his shoulder. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Once again, he did not hesitate– he knew now that it was real, that it was _possible_ , that there were so many other people he wanted to see. And when he turned…

There they were.

He saw Jarvis first, looking about Tony’s own age and arm in arm with Ana. He rushed towards them without a thought, throwing his arms around them, his grin so wide that his cheeks were burning even as he felt a tear run down them.

“Young Sir,” Jarvis said, his smile watery and trembling and so, so happy. “No one could have done more.”

“You’ve done so much,” Ana told him. “So many good things.”

“More good than any of the rest of us put together.”

Tony glanced up again at the new voice to see Peggy, his Aunt _Peggy_ , right there in a flesh. She smiled at him, her brown eyes shining.

“I would have liked you to be gone a little bit longer, and I’m sorry that it happened so soon,” she told him, pulling him in for a hug of her own. Tony didn’t think he had ever been hugged so much in such a short time before, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. “Stand tall,” Peggy said, whispering into his ear. “What you did was _heroic_.”

Tony’s laugh was a little wet.

“And Tony?” she said, pulling back so that he could see her wink. “Don’t let him off the hook too easily, okay?”

Tony was about to ask what she meant, but then—

“Son.” Unlike the others, Howard looked _nervous._

“Dad,” Tony greeted.

“I… I am so proud of you. So… and I’m sorry. I know I should have been better.” Howard smiled. “I hope that we can grow to know one another more, now.”

Tony considered it for moment, unsure of how he felt, but—

Then he saw the person who had been hidden behind Howard, and his eyes widened.

Yinsen’s expression was more subdued than the others’, but that was only because he was a more subdued person. Even after all these years, Tony could still see the emotion in his expression.

“Your family?” Tony asked him, his voice raw. “Did you find them?”

“I did,” Yinsen said. “And we are happy.”

At the sight of Yinsen’s smile, then, Tony realised that this was relief, this was _peace_ , this was why the fight of their lives would always be worth it in the end.

The way that Yinsen’s expression softened made Tony wonder whether the man had read his mind.

“I see you took my advice,” Yinsen said.

“You told me not to waste my life,” Tony replied thickly. “And I think I did okay.”

The voice that answered wasn’t Yinsen’s, but it was certainly more than welcome.

“I think you did more than just okay.”

Tony _laughed_ then, something bright and amazed as he turned again to see another person he thought was gone forever. She looked almost exactly the same as she had the last time Tony had seen her, only hours before. Her hair was bright, _bright_ red, long and wavy like it used to be, and her eyes were free from the pain they had held these past years.

“And I thought I was rid of you,” he said, feeling like he wasn’t going to stop smiling in a long, _long_ time. “Yet here you are, spying on me even when we’re both dead.”

“There’s not much to do in this place,” Natasha replied, her own gaze amused even as she gave a dismissive shrug. “I heard there was something happening over here, thought I’d check it out.”

“Are you calling me entertaining, Romanoff?”

“Maybe a little,” she admitted, her lips pressing together, her brow crinkling and her eyes far too bright. “You’ve always been known for some pretty amazing things.”

Her lips trembled, and despite their differences, despite the things that had happened between them and the past fucking five years of distance, just seeing her like that… Seeing stoic, unmovable _Natasha Romanoff_ filled with such emotion, Tony couldn’t help but step forward and hug her, as well.

“We won, Nat,” Tony whispered.

“I know,” she replied, pressing tighter against his shoulder. “Everything was worth it.”

They held each other for longer than they had before, two Avengers who had finally come to the end of their watch. Their eyes weren’t quite dry by the time they pulled away, but they weren’t tears of sadness. They had sacrificed a lot, it was true, but god _yes_ , it had been worth it. And if he had this… then he thought there was a chance that he could be all right.

She leant back and looked at him intently. “The silver fox look suits you.”

He laughed. “Can’t ever go wrong with it, right?”

Natasha shook her head fondly. “I suppose it makes sense.”

“Yeah,” Tony said, a little confused but still smiling. “I know you were having fun in the compound these past few years, but I got old.”

“No,” she said. “You lived, and you were happy as you were.”

There was something more to her words– they were soft, yes, but pensive, and even as Tony watched she reached up and touched her fingers to her own, long hair.

“Hey, how come you and everyone else look younger, but I’m still as I was?” he asked, his eye narrowed slightly. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“Perhaps there is,” she agreed easily. “But that is a riddle for later, don’t you think?”

He wanted to argue, because leaving puzzles for later just wasn’t something he was capable of doing– it just wasn’t in his nature. But then he glanced around him, and he knew that she had a point. There was so much _more_ here, so much beyond his wildest hopes.

His parents, Jarvis, Ana, Aunt Peggy, Yinsen, Nat… all people he had lost, all the people who had been torn away—

He never had to lose any of them again.

But among all the people Tony knew, all his friends and his _family_ who he never thought he would ever be able to see ever again, there was one face that didn’t quite seem to fit in with all the rest.

He was standing off to the side, his hands wringing in front of him, his lips twisted into something tentative that didn’t quite seem to match what Tony knew of him already.

And, well– Tony knew Thor had said that Loki was dead, but… even when Tony began to see his friends, he never imagined that he might see his foes as well.

It was more than enough to interest him, and he pulled away from the group, walking slowly toward the other man. No one stopped him, and no one followed– they let him go without even a word.

“Hey, Reindeer Games,” Tony said, feeling a little cautious, but– what did he have to lose? What could touch him, here?

Loki was still fidgeting, but the corners of his mouth turned up at the nickname. Tony couldn’t help but notice that even for a smirk, the smile lit up his whole face, made him look so _young_.

It seemed that something heavy had been lifted from Loki’s chest, as if whatever had been plaguing him during the invasion of New York had melted away to nothing. Tony couldn’t help but wonder whether that had happened during his time in prison on Asgard, or whether it was his sacrifice for Thor, or whether he had finally found some measure of peace right here. Or perhaps it was just that Loki, same as everyone else, seemed to have returned to the prime of his life. Gone was the waxy skin, the greasy hair, the pained eyes– the evidence of so much hardship he had endured.

Loki’s hair was shiny black and shorter than Tony remembered, not quite reaching his shoulders. His eyes were a bright, bright green, his skin flushed and– well, not quite _alive_ , right? But looking far more alive now than he ever had in New York.

Tony wondered what had happened to this Loki in life, what had turned him so sour until he thought that his only, desperate option was to invade an entire planet. _This_ Loki just looked like a guy who was stressing out over his upcoming college finals.

“Stark,” Loki greeted. “I apologise for interrupting your reunion, but… I wanted to say thank you.”

Tony blinked. “ _Why?”_

“For what you did,” Loki explained. “You ended it. I know better than anyone what that monster was capable of. You cannot know how _grateful_ I am to you, and I… I needed to say it.”

A simple ‘you’re welcome’ was right on the tip of Tony’s tongue, but something stopped him from voicing it. He couldn’t help but feel like this was something that shouldn’t be dismissed, like there was a lot to more to Loki’s apparently simple gratitude than it seemed.

And really, when Thanos was involved, and with the tidbits of Loki’s past that he had heard, it wasn’t too difficult to piece them together into a bigger picture.

The conclusion he came to was in no way pleasant, but he knew without a doubt that he was right– and that set something heavy in Tony’s stomach.

“He did something to you,” Tony whispered softly.

“Of course he did,” Loki said, glancing away. “He killed me.”

“No,” Tony said, shaking his head. “It was more than that.”

Loki’s expression closed off, and he looked like he was about to leave. Tony might be the single most curious person to have ever lived but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t recognise when to _stop_. So, instead of pushing, he held out his hand with a soft smile.

Loki eyed it curiously, and Tony sighed.

“Thor tells me you did a good thing before you died,” Tony said. “Actually, he said that _twice_ , and several years apart, so. I’m not entirely sure what to believe. But either way—”

“You never have to see me again,” Loki said. “This place is… difficult to explain, but you’ll learn. It’s large enough that you never have to see anyone you don’t want to.”

Tony probably should have left it there. They weren’t friends– they had fought against each other, they had _hurt_ each other. But… that was during the fight, and he knew that something about Loki had changed right there at the end. Spending a month on a ship with Nebula, with nothing to do but  playing silly games and _talking_ … well, it had given him far more of an appreciation for what Thanos could do to a person than he ever could have had otherwise.

Tony remembered the way that Loki had seemed so different, so much _lighter_ after they had snapped his wrists in irons. Oh, sure, Tony had hardly noticed it the first time round– he’d loved Loki’s quip about the drink, but for everything else he’d had his back turned. The second time, though? Tony had seen it all, he’d seen the relieved smile, the jokes, the _tricks._ That Loki wasn’t evil, that Loki wasn’t even insane– _that_ Loki was the same man as who stood before him now, and… this Loki deserved a chance.

“And if I do want to see you again?” Tony asked.

“I’m sure you have other people to talk to,” Loki said shrewdly.

“Yeah, but eternity’s a long time, Lokes,” Tony said, adding on a shrug. “I’m going to need someone to talk to who can match me word for word– and I haven’t found someone as good at that as you since 2012.”

Loki’s eyes had widened slightly, and his lips parted in surprise.

“You… _want_ to spend time with me?” he asked, and he was so shocked by that fact that it only solidified Tony’s decision further.

“Yeah,” Tony said simply.

“And what if I do not wish to speak with _you_?” Loki asked, though there was a happy glint in his eyes now that was as good as a confirmation.

“I suppose I’ll just have to find you,” Tony replied, his grin already growing. “I can be fairly persistent. And annoying.”

“And you think you’ll be able to outwit _me?”_

“I think I can certainly give it a try,” Tony smirked. “Though, come on. We both know that if you didn’t want to talk to me, you’d be gone already.”

Loki laughed at that, a bright, happy thing that made Tony chuckle as well. Then they just grinned at each other for moment, sharing in something that neither could name, but both enjoyed.

“Seriously,” Tony said. “I think… I want to get to know you better.”

“You may not like what you learn,” Loki warned, though his tone remained light. “But if you are sure, then I shall call on you in a few days’ time, Stark,”

“Then I can’t wait.”

Loki vanished in a shimmer of green – and, okay, so that was new, Tony didn’t know that he could– jesus, _how the hell did he lose in New York when he could teleport_ – and Tony stared for a moment before shaking his head in amusement and then turning back toward everyone else.

_Dramatic shit._

“What was that about?” Natasha asked as he approached.

“I think I just made a new friend,” Tony said brightly. Natasha grinned and then began to draw him into the conversation she was having with Peggy, but Tony couldn’t stop wondering over the conversation he’d just had with a former enemy.

Because Natasha might think he was joking, but… he couldn’t help but wonder if– he couldn’t help but _hope_ that his words were true.

— ☀︎ —

The first few days were bliss. He spent them getting to know everyone again, talking with his mother about everything he ever wished he could have, regaling Peggy with stories of how he had managed to come out on top when everyone said that he couldn’t, and spending as much time with Jarvis as he could, making up for their lost time.

But as time wore on, he began to miss everything – and _everyone_ – that he had left behind.

Happy, Harley, Rhodey, Peter, Pepper, _Morgan_.

Tony longed for them with an ache in his chest, with a hole that could never be filled, no matter how many people he had regained here.

_I love you three thousand._

It was hard, going through every day. Not impossible– because he knew that they were _okay_ , because Pepper had promised him that. He knew that they would be fine without him, because the world was safe now, and they had more than enough incredible heroes to keep them so.

But without something to occupy his mind, they were all that he could think about, and he was slowly going mad with it.

Tony thought back to when he first arrived on this plane of existence, remembered thinking that no one knew what happened after death. He did know that one of the more prevalent theories was that when you go, there is _nothing_.

Well, this certainly wasn’t nothing at all, but it definitely seemed like there was nothing to _do_. They weren’t just in an empty space– it was as if they lived in a copy of the real world, except it could look like whatever they wanted it to be.

Tony spent his time milling about the old Avengers Tower at first, not able to bring himself to go to the compound– but it felt big, and empty. Yet the way the world worked was… odd, and he was never more than a few moments away from anywhere he wanted to go.

He could walk to Ana and Jarvis’ house even though he had no idea how to get there, and it was like he had been transported back to the 1950s. He could drive over the Hudson to visit Aunt Peggy’s house, even though he _knew_ it was in England, and it took no time at all to make the hop to Malibu.

It was as if, so long as he _wanted_ to go somewhere, and so long as he was welcome, then he could arrive in a moment. Loki had been right when he said that the place was _difficult_ , but Tony was also determined to prove that he could work it out.

After all, he was Tony Stark. He’d worked out how to harness the power of _time travel_. Surely he could manage this.

He just didn’t really have an idea of where to begin.

No one else seemed willing to help– they didn’t need to know _how_ it worked, they were content enough to know that it did. Tony even sucked it up and went and asked Howard, to see if he had anywhere to start, but his good old dad just shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know what to tell you, son,” he said. “I tried as well when I arrived, but there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason. The laws of physics don’t apply, and it’s as if the world itself shifts around, like this place doesn’t occupy space the way the real world does.”

That was all that Howard was willing to say, stating that there was no reason to learn because they could just be happy as they were. There _was_ no reason to worry.

But it had, at least, given Tony an idea.

The concept of space moving around the person– well, that nagged at something in his memory. It was more than likely something from popular culture, but he wasn’t willing to dig too deeply into his memory to work out what, because that would kind of be a _little_ hypocritical after the flack he’d given Scott over _Back to the Future_ – well, and Peter with the _Alien_ movies, now that he was thinking about it.

But.

Now that he was _thinking_ , he had an idea, and he thought he might have been able to make it work.

His workshop in the Tower was the same, and it was more than easy to navigate. It still felt quiet in there of course, without DUM-E and U to liven the place up, but Tony couldn’t bring himself to create them the way he had managed to bring an Iron Man suit to life with the power of his thoughts alone. He knew that they wouldn’t be the same, and he would rather the memory of his old friends than cheap copies.

There was absolutely no warning– one moment he was alone, and then the next– there was Loki.

Tony flinched out of his chair, jumped about a foot in the air and swore up a _storm_ , and Loki laughed hard enough that there were tears in his eyes.

“Oh, shut up,” Tony muttered, crossing his arms. Loki was still fucking laughing– and maybe that should have clued Tony in.

When he went to sit back in his chair with a huff, he went straight _through_ where the chair was meant to be with a yelp, his pinwheeling arms doing nothing to prevent his plummet and crash landing on the ground.

It fucking hurt, though he knew that nothing was damaged– nothing ever was, not anymore. He turned and pinned the giggling god with his absolute _best_ glare, because it was clear as day that Loki had noticed the fact that Tony’s chair had skittered across the room when he had jumped up in surprise.

“Cruel,” Tony snapped, though there truly wasn’t any anger in his tone. “That was cruel and uncalled for.”

“You said you wanted to know me, Stark,” Loki said, flashing a grin. “And you were adequately warned.”

“If I were adequately warned, you’d have warned me that my chair had vanished,” Tony muttered, getting to his feet and glancing over his work. The holographic blueprints hadn’t suffered from his surprise– and as he gave them a quick once over, his attention was drawn by movement at his left shoulder.

“What are you trying to do?” Loki asked.

“I’m trying to decipher the secrets of the universe,” Tony said, shrugging and giving the hologram a little flick to spin it around. “You know, nothing big. Just a simple project.”

“That does sound boring,” Loki agreed, although Tony could _see_ the interested gleam in his eye. “I don’t think I’ll help.”

“Cool,” Tony said. “Didn’t want your help anyway.”

Once again, there was a moment where their gazes met, a silent challenge where they both waited to see who would break first.

It lasted maybe a half minute before—

“So how do _you_ move around?” Tony asked, already turning to pull up new calculations. “It’s clear that spacial physics just don’t work here, but you don’t even walk places like I do. You just… poof.”

“Poof?” Loki asked incredulously, arching a brow.

“Yeah, you know.” Tony wiggled his fingers in front of him in the universal gesture for _magic_ and _sparkles_ and _weirdness_. “ _Poof_.”

Loki’s lips pressed together for a moment, then he narrowed his eyes. “You are right on the verge of—”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure there’s some proper term for it. Teleportation? What, apparition?”

“Skywalking.” Loki just seemed amused, now. “When I was alive, I was able to use my seiðr to step over the branches of Yggdrasil and traverse thousands of leagues in a single leap. But this place… it is nestled _within_ Yggdrasil, it _is_ the space between worlds,” Loki explained. “It is even easier for me to skywalk here than it was before. In a way, what you do is similar, only the magic of this place moves you through Yggdrasil without the aid of seiðr. I can simply do it faster.”

“Oh yeah, that’s modest,” Tony said.

Loki shrugged, smirking again.

“So Howard was wrong,” Tony muttered. Then– “Also, _this place?_ We definitely need a more creative name for it.”

“There are many names for it,” Loki said. “When I arrived, I thought I was in Helheim. I have seen mortals refer to it as heaven, as hell. My mother still uses the term Valhalla, as she believes that it must be, for we are all able to enjoy ourselves and feast with whomever we wish.”

“Feast?” Tony asked curiously. “But… I haven’t eaten since I got here. Are you saying I’m going to starve?”

“Feasts were a time of leisure on Asgard as much as for sustenance,” Loki said. “They are still held here. The Allfather even has a hall within which to hold them. Fandral told me that many Vikings who have been here for centuries showed up when Odin arrived, exchanging coin because many of them began to think that their legends of being able to feast with Odin in death were not true.”

“But am I going to _starve_?” Tony asked again, trying not to think about the fact that he was now living in the same place as Vikings– Vikings, who had been there for _centuries_.

“Shouldn’t you have noticed by now if you were?” Loki asked.

“Uh.” Did Tony tell Loki that he once went a week on nothing but whatever DUM-E was putting in his smoothies because he was so caught up in the middle of trying to make the NanoTech work? Didn’t seem like a good idea. “Let’s just say I’m being cautious.”

“Of course,” Loki said, rolling his eyes.

“So… what is there to do here?” Tony asked. “You’ve been here, what, five years? Surely that’s long enough that you’ve got the run of the place by now.”

“I am unsure as to whether I should be flattered that you think my abilities are so grand as to be able to have discovered all the secrets in this vast existence in so slight a period, or insulted that you seem to think I have done nothing else.”

“Be flattered,” Tony suggested. “It’s more fun that way.”

Loki rolled his eyes _again_ , but– Tony was starting to think that gesture might just be how Loki showed affection.

“You must find a way to occupy yourself,” Loki said. “Many fall into routine, but, as I said, this is a place of _opportunity_. We have a whole _universe_ to play in, we just have to widen our minds.”

“ _We?”_ Tony asked, and Loki grinned.

“You said you wanted someone to talk to, Stark,” Loki said– and his tone was _teasing_.

“I dunno,” Tony said, putting on his best thinking face. “There’s everyone who’s ever died out there. I’m sure I could find _someone_ – hey, is it literally _everyone?_ Because I’ve only very recently learned of the existence of different realities, and if there are like six Tony Starks out there—”

“Oh, there are far more than _six_ realities,” Loki cut in.

“Um. How many—”

“What would you do if you ran into another of yourself?” Loki asked curiously. “Would you battle?”

“What? No, why would I do that? I’d think of something much more fun.”

Tony pressed his lips together, fighting the grin that threatened to break through. Loki stared back with a similar expression. Tony’s eyes were watering. His cheeks were hurting. He wasn’t going to be able to hold for much longer—

Loki broke first, his cheeks stained pink. “So you would, uh—”

“I would challenge myself to a lego building competition, obviously,” Tony said, his straight face only _just_ in place, his voice shaking a little. “Why, what did _you_ think I was going to say?”

Loki drew in a sharp breath and turned away, his shoulders shaking as he fought to get a grip on himself. Tony let his grin finally break free once again, and not only because Loki was no longer looking– but because he was just enjoying looking at Loki. Loki seemed so carefree here.

“So, _are_ there more Tony Starks out there?” Tony asked curiously.

“As I understand it, we are still only able to interact with those from our own reality,” Loki said, turning back, his grin just as bright as Tony’s. “But there is so much room for opportunity that additional realities would merely be a redundant complication.”

“Opportunity?” Tony asked, unable to take the incredulity out of his tone. “There’s nothing here but emptiness.” Even as he said it, he felt a little guilty, like he was cheapening what he he had. Because how could it be _empty_ , when so many people were here that he loved? But how could he think otherwise, when so many people were missing?

Loki frowned. “You feel like you are stuck here,” he said, tilting his head. It might have seemed an odd question, because of fucking course they were stuck– they were _dead_ , after all. It wasn’t like they were on a summer vacation.

But Tony knew what he meant.

“There’s nothing to do,” Tony muttered. “I can’t invent, because all I have to do is _think_ of something, and then there it is. What’s the point when I can’t create with my own hands? What do I have, then?”

“Oh, Stark,” Loki said, shaking his head. “If you have not yet worked out that this place is nothing but potential, then you still have a very long way to go before you are able to _understand.”_

“Potential,” Tony sighed. “Potential for what, exactly?”

“Anything,” Loki said, shrugging. “We’re not alive anymore, Stark. What do you think that _means?”_

“Uh, that we’re _dead?”_ Tony said again. And when all he got was a patient stare, he muttered, “Well, how am I supposed to know?”

“I suggest you figure that out.”

“As if everyone else has,” Tony muttered. “What is this? Did you turn into a self help guru when I wasn’t looking– have _you_ worked all this out? You never even answered my question.”

“No,” Loki admitted. “But you and I, we’re not like everyone else, and I think… maybe, we can make this existence a little more enjoyable for the both of us.”

Tony was about to snap back, but he paused. Because Loki– well, he looked… He had jumped on the chance to talk to Tony, as if… he didn’t—

Nah, that was ridiculous. Loki was a god, and it was like Tony had said– this place had to be packed with people, all of them wandering around in their own little pockets. Surely Loki had other people he could talk to.

Wait a second.

“Everyone who’s ever died,” Tony said, his voice quiet. “Hey, Loki? If we look long enough, does that mean that we could find them _all_?”

A peculiar look crossed over Loki’s face then, something that Tony didn’t think he would ever be able to understand. It was vulnerable and open, and it was something that Tony never would have expected to see on _Loki_ – but then, he had already decided to reevaluate everything about the god.

“You want to… meet _everyone_ , with _me?”_ Loki asked.

“Yeah,” Tony said simply.

Loki gaped for a moment so short Tony thought he might have imagined it, then his expression was painted with a mix of stern curiosity instead. “I assume you have realised that you can only find someone if they are amenable to your visit,” he said.

“Yes,” Tony confirmed again. “But you don’t follow the rules, you said yourself. You’ve got your seiðr, and… well, if I can work out how to time travel—”

“You did _what?_ ” Loki asked, his eyes widening—

“Oh, did you miss that part?” Tony asked, grinning. “Yeah, I totally worked out how to time travel. It wasn’t even _hard_. But, anyway– if I can do that, then skywalking is probably a piece of cake, right?”

“Right,” Loki said absently, looking a little stunned. “Did you… have the Time Stone—”

“Nope,” Tony said, popping his lips on the _p_. “Do you want to know _what—_ ”

“I would like to know _how—”_

“I totally saved your ass in another reality,” Tony said gleefully.

“I find that hard to believe,” Loki said, back to teasing, though Tony already thought he knew exactly what Loki’s interest looked like– and he could see it glinting in his gaze. Loki wanted to _know_ , and that kind of desperate curiosity was certainly something that Tony was more than capable of understanding.

“Oh, do you?” Tony asked. “Right. Sit down, Lokes, get comfortable. I’ve got a story to tell and I think you’re going to enjoy it.”

Loki _looked_ like he was expecting to be unimpressed, but Tony knew better. It hadn’t been long at all– he’d only been dead for a few days, and this was only the second time that he’d even talked to Loki.

But even though it was only the second time, it felt so _easy._ And as Tony told his story, with Loki listening intently and asking questions and just… spending time together, he almost began to forget his earlier melancholy.

— ☀︎ —

It didn’t take long to solve the puzzle.

They would both claim credit of course, though they silently they knew it was their ability to push each other to new heights that really let them work it out. Tony was thrilled when he was able to prove to Loki that actually, _his_ theory had been correct, and that Yggdrasil did move around _them_ – at least to a certain extent. Loki was different, however, because his seiðr essentially allowed him to hop skip and step through a shortcut that no one else could access.

And then, all of a sudden… well. Tony saw the _potential_.

They had everything at their fingertips, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t have to _work_ for it. Their new understanding, the ability to get around the rules of the world through the simple use of a shortcut meant that they had so much at their disposal– they could see everyone who had ever died, and every place that ever was. It was actually mind blowing, and thinking about it, Tony realised exactly why so many of them just stuck to themselves, to their own small group.

It was a lot to take in.

But Tony had never been content with small, and he knew that Loki wouldn’t ever be, either. They dreamed big and they flew higher, they ran far and fast and they did their best not to look back. Tony introduced Loki to everyone, and then immediately regretted it when Loki and Nat, now that the animosity was no longer there, got on like a house on fire– both in terms of the speed and how _deadly_ their friendship could end up being.

Using their newfound ability to manipulate their environment, Tony learned how to _build_ again. He could control his desires and focus his attention on the joy of the act, rather than a need for the final product, and the first time he was able to present Loki with a tiny robotic snake he had made with his own two hands was the day that he learned what it was to see a smile so bright it lifted his own heart.

There was just so _much_ that they could do. They learned that there were so many things out there that they didn’t know about, that they couldn’t ever have imagined– and that meant that if they wanted them, they needed to go and _get_ them. And that meant that they could still learn, they could still sate that impossible curiosity that fuelled them both.

Before Tony knew it, it hadn’t just been days, or weeks since he had died. When he actually looked back and tried to add it up, he realised that, well. It was… _months_.

And still they danced through time, they dashed across the fabric of reality. They had more fun than Tony could remember having in… well. Ever, really. They grew close, because they matched in ways that neither of them could have imagined. And before he knew it, Tony couldn’t look at Loki and see any trace of the man he had once fought against so very long ago– all he could see was his friend.

Oh, there were times when Tony felt guilty, because of fucking course he did. He was here having the time of his life – ha, well, the time of his existence – and… okay, he _knew_ that he wasn’t expected to think about his family twenty four seven. But sometimes, he would see something and think about how much Morgan would love it– and then he’d realise that he hadn’t thought of her or Pepper in _days_.

Pepper and Morgan, they were alive. He had no way of knowing how they were going, because while apparently, according to Loki, some people had ‘gifts’, Tony was not one of them.

But Tony knew his family were fine, and he couldn’t just mope for the rest of– well, no, it wouldn’t be forever, would it? Because, eventually, hopefully a long time from now, Pepper would appear in this place as well.

But knowing that Pepper would arrive at some point… that almost—

 _Fuck_.

Every thought, every wish, every desire. Every fucking thing just left Tony feeling guilty—

Because every moment Tony spent with Loki, every smile, every laugh just… and it wasn’t just the fun, either.

At the beginning of their mischief making, Tony rather gained the impression that Loki was not good at feelings, but he was rather skilled at distractions. Of course Tony had his down moments, everyone did– and Loki would always notice, and he would always come up with some way to cheer Tony up. Whether that was a trip across the universe to watch a play created by the dead of Alfheim or just an arm wrapped around his shoulders and a quiet story of Loki’s childhood, Tony appreciated it with a surge of affection that grew with every instance.

He began to lean in more to Loki’s touches, to not just rest his head against Loki’s shoulder, but curling into Loki’s side entirely, melting into his touch with a warmth that felt _good_.

They were the best of friends, and… they spent every day together. With Loki there, the afterlife was never boring.

But not boring, of course, also meant that things could never just be simple, and the closer Tony and Loki grew, the more complicated things became– though it took a well needed kick up the ass for Tony to realise it.

It happened in such a simple moment. They had just been sneaking around one of the medieval castles, poking some king or another into thinking that his castle was haunted– which, come on. He was already dead, what the hell was a ghost going to do?

They’d returned back to Tony’s Malibu mansion – restored here, or perhaps never having been touched by that missile – which had been their favourite haunt ever since they had stopped leaving each other’s company every night. They were pressed together on the couch, Tony’s legs splayed sideways over Loki’s lap, using his hands to gesticulate their excited conversation. Loki’s hands had come to rest on Tony’s hips, steadying him so that he didn’t fall off the couch.

And then… Loki had laughed.

It shouldn’t have been such a big thing, because by that point Tony had heard Loki’s laugh so many times. But there was something about that moment that made Tony go warm, that made him sigh out his breath.

It would be so easy, to just lean in and brush their lips together, just a gentle touch. Tony ached with it, his eyes on Loki’s mouth, on the way the corners still turned up into a smile. That smile was so _inviting_ , that soft happiness that was all _Tony’s_. There was no reason why he shouldn’t lean up to kiss Loki, none other than—

 _Pepper_.

Tony pulled away so quickly that he _would_ have fallen off the couch, if not for Loki’s hands. But that just– Loki lost his balance trying to keep Tony’s, and they ended up pressed together even more than before as Loki tugged Tony against his chest.

Tony didn’t fight it, this time– he just buried his face into Loki’s shoulder, hoping to hide the warm flush that stained his cheeks, not wanting Loki to see.

God, Loki. They were friends. Tony was _married_. He had been away from Pepper for– what, a year, maybe? It was hard to keep track, but he thought it was probably about that. It wasn’t– he _loved_ Pepper, he knew he did. That wasn’t nearly long enough for something like that to disappear—

But it was, certainly, _more_ than long enough for something else to form.

Looking back, Tony realised that he had been feeling this way for a while. That there had been plenty of moments where Loki had smiled, or said something affectionate– or even when he’d said something sharp or witty or clever, when he’d managed to get them away from a mongol horde Tony had wanted to to visit only in the very nick of time. The moments themselves were uncountable, and Tony couldn’t even pinpoint _when_ things had begun to change.

He supposed it must have happened slowly. It wasn’t just one thing that had made him realise, it was a thousand things, a thousand _reasons_ for why Tony now looked at Loki and wanted nothing more than to see him _happy_ , to be the one to make him smile, to hold him close and never have to let go.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise– he didn’t just sit and _cuddle_ on the couch with just anyone, after all.

But regardless of the how, regardless of the _when_ , one fact remained the same. Tony had gone and developed romantic feelings for the best friend he had, and there was nothing he could do about it.

So, yeah.

There’s that guilt.

He knew he wasn’t being fair on anyone. It wasn’t fair on himself to be beating himself up over it, because it wasn’t like it was something that he could have helped. It wasn’t fair to Loki to be hiding it, because he more than deserved the truth. It wasn’t fair to Pepper– to think that she wouldn’t be _pleased_ for him.

He knew Pepper better than he knew himself, and he knew that she would _want_ him to find happiness. He knew that.

It didn’t make any of this any _better_ , and it left him feeling like shit.

And Loki, of course… noticed.

“It’s your family,” he said, his hand stroking Tony’s hair, somehow managing to make him feel better and worse all at the same time.

“I miss them,” Tony said. “It’s… I know it’s been so long, and I know that I will have missed so much. I keep wondering… Morgan might have started school by now. I wonder how she’s going, whether she’s got any friends, and… I know that she’s fine without me, but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier.”

“That is understandable,” Loki said, holding him a little closer. Loki hated talking about feelings, Tony knew. Maybe it was because he’d had some back experiences in the past, or maybe it was simply because he thought he wasn’t very good at it. But whatever the reason, he just seemed to prefer to avoid those sorts of conversations in favour of silent communication, fingers lingering against wrists, soft smiles and gestures of affection that went deeper than empty words of comfort.

Yeah. Loki really didn’t like talking about feelings—

So whenever Loki _did_ , Tony felt as though it was something more precious than he might realise. Sometimes, in moments like these… sometimes Loki would listen to this sort of stuff when he knew it would help _Tony_ , just for Tony’s sake. But that only made Tony want to curl up against him even more than before, made him yearn for Loki with all that he was.

Which… definitely explains what he said next.

“And Pepper,” Tony said. “I miss her, as well.”

Loki paused then, his hand stilling.

“Sorry,” Tony said with a wince. “I just—”

“I might be able to help,” Loki said, his voice a little strained. Tony glanced up curiously, no longer caring whether or not his expression was composed.

“How?” Tony asked. “I’m _dead_. I can’t see them, and unless you’ve got some way of resurrecting us that you for some reason have kept to yourself until now, then they can’t ever see me, either. And don’t you dare suggest bringing them here—”

“I can’t get them to see you,” Loki said, shaking his head. “But there might be a way for you to be able to see _them_.”

“How?” Tony asked. “Have you got a periscope? Can we stick it out of our graves?”

“Some people have gifts that they are willing to share with others,” Loki said gently. “I know one of them quite well.”

“What are you saying?” Tony asked, his voice quiet, his hands clutching tightly at Loki’s shirt. “What—”

“I’m saying that you will be able to see your child,” Loki told him. “It will be from afar, but… I can help you see her.”

Tony felt like his breath had been stolen from him, like Loki had just given him the world.

And in _that_ moment… well.

The temptation was simply too difficult to resist in its entirety.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Loki’s cheek, letting the kiss linger for a moment before pulling away. Loki’s eyes were closed, but they opened with a look of disbelief and… and something a bit deeper.

“Thank you, Loki,” Tony whispered. “This means a lot to me.”

Loki smiled, then, something that lacked his usual brightness, but which seemed all the more real for it. He lifted a hand and cupped Tony’s cheek gently as he whispered, “I know.”

— ☀︎ —

They talked about it some, Loki making sure with careful explanation that Tony understood what it would involve. Tony’s hands had begun to tremble, but he didn’t loosen his grip on Loki’s shirt, and he didn’t shift away from Loki’s lap. Loki’s hands were at his waist, holding him steady once again, keeping him grounded by rubbing soft circles with his thumbs.

And when Tony asked _who_ the person was that could help them – he certainly did not receive the answer that he had been expecting.

“Stark,” Loki said, his voice somewhere in the middle of nervous and excited, that bright apprehension cutting straight through his attempts at nonchalance. “Would you like to come and meet my mother?”

“Oh, sweetheart, if you’re going to take me to meet the parents then you should probably call me by my first name,” Tony teased, using the humour to try and cover up the nerves that shot through him.

Loki tilted his head, and Tony knew that the god could see right through him, but… he didn’t comment. Instead, he rolled his eyes. “Not _parents_ , just my mother. She can help you.” Loki waited for a bit, then added, “And she expressed her interest over meeting the saviour of the universe.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling me now?” Tony asked.

Loki rolled his eyes. “Yes. As if your ego needed _more_ inflating.”

“It always does.”

Loki chuckled, though it was clear that he wasn’t quite capable of pushing away the nervousness, either. “We should join her for tea,” he said. “She will want to talk to you… if you are amenable?”

Tony bit on his lip. “Sounds great,” he affirmed quietly, humour fading away. He ached to see his family again, his Pepper and his little Morgan. His hands were clenching at his sides, curling and uncurling– until Loki reached out and took them in his own.

He was smiling gently, that soft, tentative curve that always made Tony feel better. Because, yeah, he was nervous– but he was also _excited_. Just the thought of checking up on them, of seeing how they were doing, of getting answers to so many questions that raced through his mind was more than enough to catch his breath. How many times had Pepper needed to pull Morgan out of the garage? Had she yet managed to manipulate Happy and Rhodey into bribes, twisted them around her fingers just as efficiently as she had Tony? Had she finally made a decision on whether or not she enjoyed eating broccoli?

He wanted to know the answer to all of those questions, and far more as well. And when Loki’s magic began to dance around them with a green itch over his skin that he had long since learned to love, his heart hammered with anticipation.

When he opened his eyes, they had arrived in some kind of sitting room, decorated tastefully but with far more gold than Tony enjoyed– though he did rather like the open windows, the balcony that looked out over a city that could only be Asgard.

Tony wanted to go and look, wanted to run around this _palace_ that he knew had to be the place where Loki had grown up– but his attention was quickly drawn by the tall figure standing a few feet away from them.

Frigga, former queen of Asgard, Loki’s mother. She was dressed in soft blue robes, her long, golden hair spilled down over her shoulders and highlighted the warmth in the smile that was painted over her lips.

“You must be Anthony,” she greeted.

“And you must be Queen Frigga.” He offered a smile of his own, though he knew it was likely a little lopsided. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I can only say the same about you.” She gestured to a circle of comfy looking chairs surrounding a dainty table. “Would you like to sit down? I have prepared tea, for while we talk.” She glanced to Loki then, and her smile warmed further. “While I am sure my son has explained, I know that this must be jarring. Do you have any questions for me before we begin?”

“Oh, I do actually,” Tony admitted, taking a seat beside Loki. He had grown so used to meeting amazing people and… a queen of _Asgard?_ He wasn’t about to let this chance go to waste. “Loki mentioned you had gifts? What… are they, exactly?”

“I can see things,” Frigga explained softly. “When I was alive, I could see the future– but in this place, I can use my gift to glance into the world of the living. Which, I believe, is why you are here.”

Loki laughed. “You will grow used to him, mother,” he said, his eyes shining with fondness that made Tony grin. “He must always know everything.”

“A good match for you, then,” Frigga said, and Tony’s grin widened when he saw Loki’s blush.

But her reminder had been more than enough to throw him back into the present, to remind him exactly _why_ they were there, and as he accepted the fragrant cup of tea Loki passed him, he drew in a breath and turned his focus back to the important.

“Can you really show me my family?” he asked reverently, his hands clutching at the cup without even thinking of taking a sip. “To see them again would be…”

“Of course I can.” Frigga reached across the table to squeeze his arm gently for a moment. “I used to use this trick to watch over my sons,” she said, turning to glance at Loki with an arched brow. “I do hope that your daughter is up to less trouble than they were.”

“We blew up the whole of Asgard,” Loki said with a shrug and an amused twitch of his lips. “I don’t think Anthony has more than that to worry about.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Tony said, the cup near cracking for how tightly he was holding it. “I wouldn’t underestimate a young Stark with limitless energy.”

Both Asgardians smiled at that, and Tony felt a little of his nervousness vanish.

“Right,” he said. “How do we do this?”

Rather than give a verbal answer, Frigga placed her teacup down and leaned over the table between them. She held her hands in the air, palm facing forward– and then she spread them apart, a glitter of gold shining between her fingertips. What appeared in the path of her movement wasn’t a screen, and it wasn’t a portal. It was more of a fog, something translucent and not quite there, as if they were looking through the very fabric of reality.

And in that blurred, golden space, Tony saw a face so familiar that he gasped.

“ _Pepper.”_

They were seeing into the living room of the lake house, and Tony’s heart clenched as he realised that they were still living in the same place, that Morgan would still likely be sleeping in the same bed– if she hadn’t outgrown it, that is.

Pepper was sitting on the couch, wearing a pair of rectangular glasses as she compared one document to another, glancing between the papers in her hands with a frown of concentration that Tony had seen so many times before.

She seemed to be in a deep focus, but she stopped with a sharp jerk of her head as she turned to look toward the stairs.

The reason why came thundering down them half a second later, a piece of paper clutched in one of her hands. She was bigger than she had been the last time Tony had tucked her into bed, her hair a little longer– but she was there, she was smiling with glee as she waved the paper in the air. Tony could only see flashes of grey on it, and had no idea what it was supposed to be– but then Frigga flicked her wrist, and Tony heard Morgan’s _voice_.

“Mommy, mommy! Look, I drew Uncle Rhodey!” She shoved the drawing at Pepper with so much excitement it almost looked like she might explode with it, and Pepper laughed, her smile bright and _happy_.

Tony’s breath stalled, and he felt like his heart was standing still. The scene before him wasn’t clear, it was distorted by whatever it was that stood between the two worlds– but that didn’t _matter_. He could see them, he could _hear_ them—

“Oh, wow, this looks lovely,” Pepper said, reaching out to pull Morgan against her side. And the sound of her voice cut through Tony and shot life back into his heart, causing it to beat again with a painful thud. “Should we pin that on the fridge, next to the drawing of dad?”

Morgan was nodding, grinning, and Tony wanted nothing more than to jump into the scene and be with them.

His family were right there, right there in front of him. They were happy and smiling and so full of life, and they… really were okay.

It hurt that they were not there with him, that he could not share in this moment– but even though he wanted nothing more than to wrap his little girl in his arms, to hold her close and dot butterfly kisses all over her face…

It was better, that she was with Pepper. Morgan could grow, could learn, could live her life in whatever way she wanted, and Tony knew without a doubt that her future was going to be amazing.

After all, Morgan was surrounded by people who loved her. She had Pepper, and clearly Rhodey, and if the pictures Tony could see on the mantle were any indication – almost bringing a tear to his eyes – then she had Rhodey and Peter and Happy and Harley and so many others to hold her and love her as well.

As Pepper moved to make good on her promise, Tony caught another glance of the drawing, and he grinned to see that it was a thick grey stick finger shooting beams out of his hands and with a bright red glow slap bang in the middle.

So, Rhodey was likely still with the Avengers then, still kicking ass and taking names.

It wasn’t just his two girls– everyone really was okay. They were _okay_. He hadn’t sacrificed himself for nothing then. They had taken his message by heart and they were all _living._

Unable to help himself Tony reached out, his fingers trembling. It wasn’t a conscious choice, he just… he wanted to feel them, wanted just for a moment to be able to pretend they were still reachable and only a touch away—

But his hand went straight through, and the fog dissipated as if his hand had been a gust of wind.

He let his hand fall to the table, coming to rest beside his discarded teacup, no doubt now stone cold. He tried to hold his fingers steady, clutching at the surface– he was sure they wouldn’t tease him for his moment of weakness, but he didn’t want them to see him trembling, not now.

“The magic was ending anyway,” Frigga said gently, and Tony nodded, choosing to believe her regardless.

“Thank you,” he said, the words aching with sincerity– because, yeah, he was trembling, but that wasn’t because he was _hurting_. “Thank you for letting me see them.”

“There is no need to thank me.” Frigga tilted her head down, her smile kind. “If it helps you, then you are more than welcome to come back. I know how much it can help to see that those we left behind are moving on and taking care of each other.”

He smiled thankfully, because she was right– it really had helped. He knew that he would never have forgotten them, never could have lost what they looked like, but he would treasure these memories just as much as any of the others. He knew now that they were all right, that they missed him but that they were moving on with their lives.

He also knew that there was– that Morgan had drawn a picture of _him_ , and that it was stuck on the fridge. It almost made him tear up, _knowing_ that she remembered him, that she still loved him.

_I love you three thousand, kiddo. Always._

“I’ll give you some time,” Frigga said, standing up and smiling at them both. “I hope to see you again, Tony Stark.” Her gaze lingered between Tony and Loki for a moment, and then she bowed her head. “Take care.”

Tony couldn’t bring himself to find any words, but she seemed to understand, smiling once again before moving to the door. Tony hardly noticed her leave– he felt stunned, he felt thrilled, he felt– he was so mixed up in so many different emotions that he wasn’t sure _what_ he felt, but… he was pretty sure it was good.

A cool hand lay over his own, and he glanced up to see Loki staring at him with concern.

“I’m fine,” Tony croaked. “I… I’m better than fine. That was... seeing them, I mean... Loki, _thank you_ for telling me that I _can_ see them.”

Loki’s eyes were as warm as his smile. “You are welcome.”

Tony nodded, biting on his lips, feeling his eyes sting as the emotions continued to overwhelm him.

There was no hesitation in Loki’s movement as he pulled Tony into his lap, and Tony went willingly. Loki held him tightly, and Tony buried his face in Loki’s green tunic, closed his eyes and clenched his hands in the fabric.

Tears started to spill from his eyes, and Tony didn’t even try to fight them. He let them fall, uncaring that they were dampening Loki’s shirt. He wasn’t sobbing, and he wasn’t weeping– because he wasn’t _sad._ Yet, they weren’t entirely tears of joy, either, they were just because....

“I miss them,” Tony whispered, turning his face into the curve of Loki’s neck.

“I know,” Loki replied tenderly, his hands stroking over Tony’s back. It felt... nice, and Tony realised in that moment, there truly was no other place that he would rather be– and with that realisation, he tilted his head up and caught Loki’s gaze.

“Thank you, Loki,” he said.

Loki smiled. “You are welcome, though you have already—”

“No,” Tony said, shaking his head. “Thank you for _everything_. For being with me, for keeping me sane, for grounding me and caring for me, and… thank you, for being my friend.”

Something tender entered Loki’s gaze, and he lifted his hand to gently stroke Tony’s cheek. “You are welcome, Anthony.”

Tony let out a breath at the name, because that was… new. And then maybe Loki thought that he was all better or… calmed down, because he started to move away– but Tony just clutched at him tighter, his legs coming to wrap around Loki’s waist, clinging on tightly with all that he was like some kind of octopus. He didn’t want to let go just _yet_. Loki arched a brow, but his expression was soft as he pulled Tony back in. It was better that way, Tony decided. Warmth and cuddling with a man whom had _sneaked_ his way into Tony’s heart– just like a trickster, he supposed.

“Anthony,” Tony echoed, though he couldn’t for the life of him sound like he was annoyed, not when he felt so completely and utterly content. “I guess it’s better than _Stark_. Not only have I met your mom, but now we’re cuddling—”

“Are we?” Loki asked teasingly, though the effect was a little ruined by the way he leaned down to rest his cheek on the top of Tony’s head.

“You’re right, we aren’t. We’re just as close as it is possible for two people to be, every limb wrapped around each other,” Tony said, his voice positively _dripping_ with sarcasm.

“It is rather remarkable.” Loki stopped for a moment, then he whispered quietly… “Anthony?”

“Yes,” Tony replied, feeling the soft sound run in a shiver down his back, and he pressed his face back against Loki’s shoulder, hiding the blissful smile that formed on his lips. “Yeah, that’s me.”

And Tony knew he no longer had to wonder whether he could be happy here, whether he too could live his life and move on, because… he already was.

— ☀︎ —

The visits with Frigga became something of a regular thing. Not every day, nor even every week– just every now and then, just so Tony could see his daughter.

He knew that he was being selfish, that this was something _everyone_ needed to learn to deal with eventually, because everyone left people behind when it was their time. There were plenty of other people who would _love_ the chance to see their family, but… as far as Tony knew, Frigga never offered that to anyone else.

Frigga must have noticed Tony’s curious glances during one of their visits, because she asked Loki to go out and make a request of Odin. Loki looked like the question had been as easy to swallow as a particularly large lemon, but he went anyway, because Frigga had been the one to ask. Tony knew it was likely the only thing that would have got Loki out of the room in that moment– though he wasn’t sure _why_ Frigga thought that necessary.

“What is it that you want to ask me, Tony?” Frigga asked, just as fondly as the first time Loki had mentioned Tony’s curiosity.

“Why… why do you let me come here?” Tony asked in return. “I mean, why do you do this for me? I’m incredibly grateful of course, but I don’t understand.”

Frigga gave him a warm smile. “Because you deserve it,” she said, her tone light. “Do I need any other reason?”

“I don’t deserve it any more than anyone else,” Tony pointed out. “Well, maybe not _anyone_ , because I get that it’s not just the good guys here, but… there are so many others who gave their lives, for so many different causes, all of which they saw as being as important to them as mine was to me. And even if you _are_ looking just at outcomes, then– hell, _Nat_. I couldn’t have done what I did if she hadn’t sacrificed herself first.”

“It is not for your sacrifice, Tony, though know that I and many others _are_ grateful for what you did,” she said firmly.

“Then _why?”_ Tony asked. He realised that he was probably being impertinent, but… he wanted to know, and so long as it seemed that Frigga was more than willing to answer his questions, he was just going to keep on asking them.

“Loki asked me to grant you this, and I agreed, because I have never before seen him smile the way he does when he is with you,” Frigga said.

Okay, that was _not_ what Tony had been expecting, and his eyes widened in response. But then he realised the implications of what was happening, and he cleared his throat. “I don’t know what you mean,” he tried.

“You are a good liar, Tony,” Frigga said softly. “But not quite as good as the one that I raised. And you do not need to hide from me. I am _glad_.”

Tony drew in a breath, unsure of what to say.

“He makes you smile as well,” Frigga told him, her expression achingly caring. “What is it that’s holding you back?”

“Do you have to ask?” Tony said, his laugh bitter as his gaze slid to the space above the table where Frigga usually liked to create her little glimpses into the realm of the living. “I’m already married.”

“You were,” Frigga agreed. “But you died. And while love can often go beyond the grave, it does not always. Sometimes… we find a love that is stronger.”

Tony knew that Frigga was not even just talking about finding love in death, either—

He knew that people fell in and out love all the time, that sometimes there _is_ someone more suited out there that you simply find a little later than expected. Tony wondered what would have happened if he had met Loki properly in life, had he been able to speak to him for real after New York.

Somehow, he didn’t think that anything would have been too different.

Afterwards? When he was with Pepper and he had Morgan? Of course he never would have even considered, but… Right now, in this moment…

“I can’t,” Tony whispered, though it was more of an admonishment to himself than an argument for Frigga. “It’s not fair.”

“You _know_ what isn’t fair,” Frigga said, her smile turning sad now. “And it is not this.”

It didn’t entirely _hurt_ , because he knew she was right. How many times had those thoughts gone through his mind? How many times had he _wished_ that he could just turn off the guilt in his mind and do exactly what was _fair?_

He _saw_ the way that Loki looked at him, he wasn’t blind. He knew that Loki cared for him, that it would be so easy to fall into Loki’s arms and let the emotion that was already burning between them do the rest.

At the moment, they were fighting it. All it would take to change things would be to _stop_.

And that… well.

That would be the easiest thing in the world.

— ☀︎ —

Later that evening found them in the mansion again, the house that had once been Tony’s retreat and had become a _home_ for them both. They were milling about in the kitchen, putting on the kettle and starting up the coffee maker– not because they had to, but just because they could, because they _wanted_ to.

Tony had just finished pouring his coffee when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He leaned into the touch with a sigh, not able to deny himself this.

“You’re being quiet,” Loki said, tilting his head, his hand coming to rest on Tony’s cheek and his eyes so intense, as if he was trying to see right into Tony’s heart.

“I’ve been thinking,” Tony admitted, his eyes falling closed as he turned his head to press closer into Loki’s palm.

“May I ask what about?” Loki asked him, his voice gentle.

“About you,” Tony admitted. “And I guess about me, too. Sort of, the both of us.”

Loki’s hand stilled, then he stroked his thumb over Tony’s cheek.

“What about us?” Loki asked. He sounded almost breathless, and Tony opened his eyes so that he could see Loki’s expression.

“Loki, you’re my best friend in this world,” Tony said. “You know me better than anyone, and I want to stay with you regardless, okay?”

“Regardless of what?” Loki prompted, a spark of worry in his green eyes, now.

“Of whether you want me as well,” Tony said.

Loki’s eyes widened. “Anthony,” he whispered, leaning closer. “I have wanted you… for so long.”

“And I you,” Tony admitted. “But…”

“Your family.”

“Yes,” Tony said, and it was his turn to reach up to cup Loki’s face, to hold his gaze. “Loki, they’re always going to be important to me, and I have felt so guilty about everything that I have left behind, about the way that I’ve been feeling.”

“I don’t want to you to feel guilty,” Loki said immediately. “I want you to be _happy_ —”

“I know,” Tony said, his smile soft. “And that’s just one of so many things, so many reasons why I love you.”

Loki let out a shuddering breath.

“I do love Pepper,” Tony continued. “But not in the way that I used to. It hasn’t… faded, exactly, and it hasn’t even changed all that much, it’s more like… it’s made room for something else. Something _brighter_. Because I don’t love you in the same way that I used to love her, either. This is… different.”

“Different in what way?” Loki asked, his hand trembling as he reached up to thread his fingers through Tony’s hair.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, actually,” Tony told him. “Thinking about my life, where I was when I died, and how far I’ve come. And I realised that even though I’m dead, I _have_ changed. And I’ve realised… This is where I am now. This is _who_ I am. And I want to be _with_ _you_.”

Tony had barely finished talking before Loki was leaning down, and he barely had time to _think_ before he was pressing up on his toes and meeting Loki half way. And then… well, he stopped fighting. He let everything flow out of him, pouring everything he felt, every ounce of passion and love that he had into that kiss. His hands were raking through Loki’s hair and dragging down his back, just holding Loki close, just _needing_ to know that Loki was there.

They had both wanted this, had both yearned for each other for so long. Coming together felt like the world was turning back into alignment, like _this_ was the way that things were meant to be.

“I love you, Loki,” Tony whispered, their lips still only a hairsbreadth apart.

“I love you as well,” Loki said, pressing their foreheads together. “And I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’re not going to,” Tony swore. “Loki, I promise. I want to be with _you_.”

“Now, yes,” Loki said, his voice hoarse, leaning away to hold Tony’s gaze. “But… what about when she dies? When she comes here. What then?”

“Then I’ll talk to her,” Tony said firmly. The thought left his mouth feeling a little dry, and he had to swallow down the sudden uncomfortable feeling. “But we have years until then—”

“You don’t know that,” Loki whispered, but Tony could already see the darkness beginning to fade from his eyes, and the growing spark of joy that was working hard to chase those shadows away.

“Loki, I love you,” Tony said again, knowing already that he could never say it enough. He pressed up on his toes and touched his lips to Loki’s in a chaste kiss. “No one else.” He kissed him again. “ _You._ ” And again.

By that fourth kiss, Loki was smiling again, delighted and awed and completely and utterly _happy_.

And Tony… he was so full of happiness that he felt like he could float, like the whole world was suddenly four shades brighter. So he held on tightly to his love, letting strong arms ground him, and knowing that he never wanted to have to let go.

— ☀︎ —

You know, it could have been worse. All things considered, Tony thought they were doing pretty well– the forest they were sprinting through didn’t seem to have an end, and there were plenty of places to hide– they only needed to lose the man on their tail. Tony was clutching… _something_ to his chest that Loki had wanted to steal, and while Tony wasn’t sure what it was, the theft sure had been fun—

And now they were running and they _couldn’t_ get out of breath, so they were running further and further, their steps never slowing, their legs never growing sore. It was addictive, it was wild– it was that kind of feral enjoyment that surged through the whole body, that pushed you further faster longer harder and forced you to the very brink of infinity. Loki was beside him, a wild and charming grin on his face, his green eyes sparkling with excitement and adrenaline.

Somehow, being dead had turned into an adventure, and Tony knew that was more to do with the man at his side than anything else. He had thought before that he was doomed to _nothing_ , but now he was running away from an old man with a gun in his hands, shots were fired, their hearts were racing, and he had Loki’s cool hand in his.

Loki shoved Tony up against a tree without warning, pressing their bodies tight together in a way that made Tony gasp. A bright spark of green danced over their skin, and then their pursuer thundered right past without ever seeing that they were right there.

They hardly noticed him, either– they were too busy grinning at each other with smiles that slowly softened. Loki took the whatever-it-was from Tony’s hands and vanished it, and then he leaned down and brought their lips together for a searing kiss.

Tony pushed up into it hungrily, kissing him back with unbridled eagerness, his fingers sinking into Loki’s hair. Loki crowded closer, pressing their bodies so close– and Tony gasped as their hips pressed flush together, making their growing interest known with an aching shudder.

Loki groaned, and leaned his head down against Tony’s shoulder. They were still pressed together, both of them barely able to move, _wanting_ to shift, burning with the need but knowing that if they went any further, they were never going to be able to stop.

Which, you know, wouldn’t have been so bad if they weren’t currently in the middle of hostile territory, and pressed against a tree of all things.

The situation was actually kind of amusing– well, if it weren’t so frustrating. Tony still giggled though, and after a moment Loki giggled with him. They laughed like they always did, like nothing could ever go wrong, and by the time they stopped they were both gazing at each other with the kind of happiness that Tony had spent so long believing he would never be able to find.

Loki reached up to cup Tony’s face, his touch as soft as his smile. “The sun is shining,” he whispered, his tone so full of wonder that it almost made him look like he was glowing.

Tony frowned, a little confused– because _no,_ the sun wasn’t. It was pretty cloudy, actually—

But Loki’s expression was so open, so tender, so _reverent_ , that it was all Tony could do to lean up and catch his lips again, this time in a kiss that was sweet.

Loki was still smiling as they pulled away, and his hand moved to gently run though Tony’s hair.

“Anthony,” he whispered. “You look…”

“Happy?” Tony asked.

The shine in Loki’s eyes suggested he had been about to say something else, but he nodded. “Very much so,” he agreed.

“Good,” Tony said. “Because I _feel_ happy.”

“We all are,” Loki replied. “You, and me, and our families.”

It was Tony’s turn to smile. Frigga had indeed showed them what Thor was up to on their last visit, and they’d seen him scampering around the universe with the Guardians, looking like his bright old self again and visiting New Asgard frequently to check up on his people.

On Tony’s side of things, Morgan was doing so well in school, and Pepper had started seeing someone. Rhodey was retired and living out the peace that he deserved. Peter was killing it both in college and as Spider-Man, doing so much good and somehow managing to keep up with that fiery girlfriend of his all at the same time.

And… maybe Tony understood what Loki meant, by the sun shining. It truly did feel like all remaining shadows had been chased away.

They stayed pressed together even as they slid to the ground, their arms around each other was they continued to exchange lazy kisses. They weren’t as heated as the one before, but they held just as much emotion– and it was _nice_.

“Can we have it like this forever?” Tony whispered, curling into Loki’s side, leaning his head on Loki’s shoulder.

Loki glanced at him in amusement. “Do you mean this?” he asked, leaning down to press a lingering kiss to Tony’s hair. “Or do you mean the petit larceny?”

“ _Petit_.” Tony snorted. As if that had been petit. The thing they had nicked was heavy and looked fucking expensive.

“If it _is_ the theft you would like to continue, I’m sure we can find some more interesting objects around here.” Loki shrugged only the one shoulder, not wanting to disturb Tony. “You know that the opportunities are limitless, and we have infinite time to make use of them.”

“Yes.” Tony smiled lazily and interlaced his fingers with Loki’s. It felt natural by now to do things like that, to not just kiss but to be a _couple_. “I _am_ looking forward to the next mischief we cause.”

Loki turned his head to look at him properly, apparently not caring that it put his neck at an odd angle. “I am, as well,” he declared, and he pressed another kiss to Tony’s lips that was enough even now to make him swoon. It was so soft and tender, and Tony melted into it with a smile, both of them smiling together. When he pulled back, it was to see that Loki’s cheeks were dusted pink, and Tony couldn’t help his giddy grin at knowing that he had made Loki blush.

That didn’t happen as often as Tony would like it to. He loved the way that Loki looked with soft pink staining his face, loved seeing it spread a bit further down his neck, wanting to see how far down that blush _went_.

In the rare moments, when they were alone at home and curled together on the couch, hiding from everyone and feeling utterly content, Loki would turn to him and tell him how lucky he was to have Tony with him here now. What Tony felt then, was difficult to describe in words– though if he were to try, he would say… warm and loved, sprinkled with utmost adoration and pure luck, the moonlight on their skin and cooling all the heat he felt from one moment to the next– and then he would press his lips to Loki’s, telling him how lucky _Tony was_ , to have Loki here with him.

And the love Tony saw in Loki’s eyes, the open affection and tenderness– Tony wasn’t quite sure he had deserved that. Yes, he may have saved the universe but... Getting so much from one single person who made him feel like _this?_ It was more than he ever could have asked for.

And sitting there, in Loki’s arms and the sun fucking _shining_ despite the grey sky? Nothing could have been more perfect.

So he turned his head and kissed Loki again, and then he told him exactly that.

“I really do want this forever,” he said. “I never want to let you go.”

“And I you,” Loki replied. Then he stilled for a moment, though his voice remained soft as he spoke again. “But there is one thing you should know about me, something that you have yet to learn.”

Tony arched a brow, feeling that familiar curiosity in his gut, the one that was always stronger for anything about Loki. “Whatever it is,” he said gently, “You know that you can tell me.”

He was half expecting that Loki would close up, but… he smiled. He just looked relaxed, and pleased. “I know I can,” he said. “I know that you won’t mind, and I… I trust that what we have is more than strong enough.”

That sharpened Tony’s curiosity, though it tugged at his heartstrings at the same time– because it was clear that this was something _big_ , perhaps something Loki had been afraid of in the past– and yet he was going to trust Tony with it easily.

“Then what is it?” he prompted softly.

“I wasn’t born as you see me now,” Loki said. “I am not Aesir. I was stolen as a baby, taken as spoils of war, and I only learned what I was… well, only about a year before we met.”

“I remember Thor saying that you were adopted,” Tony said. “How did you find out?”

“An accident in battle. A Frost Giant, a _Jötunn_ grabbed my arm, and instead of freezing as it should have… it turned blue.” Loki’s eyes closed, and as Tony watched his skin began to change. It started at his eyes, a deep sapphire bleeding over light cream, lighter blue ridges raising over skin that had been smooth. “This is what I am,” he said. “Well– what I was. I suppose the rules _are_ different, now.”

“Not that you ever follow them,” Tony whispered, staring in awe– and as Loki opened his blood red eyes, Tony couldn’t help the gasp.

“So?” Loki asked, his smile still remaining free from nervousness.

“Loki,” Tony said, cupping his face, his words bleeding sincerity. “I love you, no matter what you look like. No matter where you come from. It does not matter to me, so long as you are _Loki_.” He ran his fingers over the lines that arched over Loki’s face, and warmed from the inside out despite the chill as Loki leaned into it, his own expression soft. “But you know that, already.”

“It is still nice to hear,” Loki admitted.

Loki’s lips were colder like this, but they still tasted the same, still moved the same against Tony’s own. Tony shifted so that one of his legs was slung over Loki’s lap, his arms looping over Loki’s shoulders, and taking his turn to press Loki against the tree, aligning their bodies as best as he could manage.

When Loki gasped into his mouth Tony ground down with his hips and drew out a moan instead. Then Loki grabbed Tony’s hips and held him still, deepening the kiss even further, sliding one of his hands down between them.

“Loki,” Tony groaned, throwing back his head even as he pressed closer, _closer_ , needing _more—_

“Hold on to me, Anthony,” Loki said, his lips moving down to brush along Tony’s throat. “I’m going to take us home.”

Home sounded good. Home to their house, to their privacy– to a soft bed that would be far more comfortable than the forest floor.

Back to the home that was _theirs_ , and always would be.

— ☀︎ —

Months turned into years, years turned into decades, and through it all Tony was _happy_. He grew closer to his parents, to the other members of his family– he grew closer to Natasha– he… he just _grew_ as a person.

He came to know himself better, because in peace he finally had the _time_.

And he knew he wasn’t the only one– slowly, Loki had begun wearing his blue skin more and more often, at first just when they were alone at home, and then occasionally he would stay that way with Frigga as well.

Tony remembered the first time he had visited her in that form, and the way that Frigga’s eyes had filled with tears.

“Oh, Loki,” she had whispered, pulling him in for a hug. “My handsome son.”

There had been a few tears all round that day, actually.

Tony had changed in appearance as well, though not by any conscious thought. He looked younger– had for a while, according to Loki, his hair a rich brown, his skin unlined. He looked as he had just under ten years before he had died, when he had been at the height of his days as Iron Man, when he still enjoyed being an Avenger, when they had _almost_ felt like a family.

As time wore on, he came to realise… all of them that were dead, they all looked as they did when they were _happiest_. At first, he had kept his appearance from his days as Pepper’s husband, the days in his life when he had felt most peaceful, most content. But as the years wore on, as he fell deeper and deeper in love with Loki, as he watched his daughter grow from afar, he was happier in death than he had ever been in life– and in turn, his appearance reflected the way that he most liked to see _himself_.

He got an up close and good look at it too, the day that he walked into his living room to find himself staring back. It was clear as day what had happened – he knew that Loki could turn himself into other people at will – and it only took him a couple of seconds to work out the implications of it.

He wet his lips, his head tilting with a spark of curiosity and want. Of course he loved the way that Loki looked, _however_ Loki decided to be, whether that be green eyes or red. He would miss Loki’s voice, he would miss the almost shoulder-length hair to curl his fingers through… but for _one time_ , he could certainly… he could work with this.

(There may have been a brief consideration of asking Loki to speak with his own voice rather than Tony’s, but he couldn’t decide whether that would be better or worse.)

Instead, he dismissed the strange and focused on the _good_ , because… _Oh,_ when he thought about it properly, he was filled with a surge of excitement. This was going to be _fun_ – all the long dead fantasies he’d had as a teenager were suddenly coming back full force, and he stepped closer to Loki, who looked at him calmly through brown eyes.

“Okay,” Tony said. “This is… new, but I could be down for it if—”

“I am ready for the Lego competition,” Loki said sternly.

Tony paused. “You're _what?_ "

"The Lego,” Loki said, no longer able to hold the straight expression as a shit-eating grin spread over his lips. “What did _you_ think we were going to do with me looking like this?”

Tony blinked. “ _Well_ —”

“I remember you telling me proudly how fun a Lego competition would be.” Loki arched a brow. On Tony’s face. Oh, okay, yeah, that was still weird. “And since I only want to make sure that you get what you want, my darling, I thought it was time to get around to it.”

Tony spluttered, but it turned into a laugh.  

“Unless you’re afraid you might lose?” Loki said innocently.

“Right,” Tony said, still reeling but never one to say no to such a blatant challenge. _“Right_. You are _so_ going down, Reindeer Games.”

The battle raged for hours, and oh it was a good fight. Tony totally would have won, if Loki hadn’t cheated– but he didn’t really mind, because the smile on Loki’s face was worth far more than the bragging rights.

And they did still have sex after, with them both looking like themselves– which, honestly, was way better. Seeing those green eyes shining up at him was far preferable to seeing himself, no matter how… interesting it might have been.

Maybe another day. But for now, Tony could not get enough of _Loki_ , and Loki was all that he needed.

That was a fact that didn’t ever change, no matter how much time passed, no matter how many people came to join them on their happy plane of existence.

Tony’s reunion with Rhodey was full of tears and hugs, and they both settled down for a _long_ conversation in Tony and Loki’s home. Rhodey gave him every detail on Morgan’s life, and Tony in turn told him all about his time with Loki, dragging the mage in to join them half way through and curling into his side– at least until Rhodey pulled Tony into a hug of his own.

“I’m so happy for you, Tones,” Rhodey said, holding him close. “So, so happy. And I know Pepper and Morgan are, as well.”

“I know,” Tony replied. “I’ve missed you, Honey Bear. So much.”

The other Avengers followed, often with years between them.

Clint died old and in his sleep, his wife at his side– and when he arrived, he and Nat did not let go of each other for days.

Fury wasn’t _pleased_ when he learned of Tony’s choice of partner, but he had to learn to, uh, _live_ with it, for lack of a better word.

When Peter Quill breathed his last, he brought with him so many stories of Thor that Loki was kept amused for days.

And when they heard that Stephen Strange had arrived—

Loki walked right up to him and decked him on the jaw with a swing that would have broken bones had they still been alive.

“ _You,”_ he snarled.

“Me,” Strange said, rubbing at the non-existent bruise. “Is this, uh, about that time I dropped you through a portal for half an hour?”

“This is about what you did to Anthony—”

“I saved the universe!”

“No, _Anthony_ saved the universe. You just got him killed!”

“Loki, it’s okay,” Tony said, wrapping an arm around his waist and tugging him back. “It’s all right—”

“He’s the reason you’re dead,” Loki spat. “He shouldn’t have—”

“He’s the reason we _won,_ ” Tony pointed out.

“No,” Loki said. “There would have been other ways, if he’d told you before– you could have– I’ve heard of people sharing the power of the stones, you might have—”

“Oh, Loki,” Tony said. He pulled Loki into a proper hug, stroking a hand through his hair. Loki didn’t need to be asked– he gathered his seiðr around them and drew them back home. “It’s okay,” Tony told him. “Am I upset that Strange knew and didn’t tell me? Yes. Am I mad about the fact that what happened kind of proved that he was technically correct to not tell me? Hell fucking yes. But we _won_ , and yeah, I died– and yes, I am upset about some of the things that I missed out there. But, sweetheart, dying means that I am here with you, and for that, I’m _grateful_.”

“I’m… you think _I’m_ worth all that?” Loki whispered.

“You’re worth more than that,” Tony said, leaning down and pressing their lips together.

Of course, it wasn’t _just_ Loki– Tony had lost a lot in death, so much that it still pained him, but he had gained a lot as well. He had a better relationship with Howard than before, one that was still strained but… _better_. He’d been able to share so much with Jarvis, with Peggy– he’d met Yinsen’s kids, he’d become better friends with Natasha than he ever could have imagined.

And, _yes_ , he’d met Loki, and Loki was right up there with all the best fucking things that had ever happened to him, right up there at the top, right up there with Morgan.

When Loki was in his arms, he felt like he could take on the universe all over again.

And when the day came that Pepper’s heart stopped beating, when she fell into her final rest after a long and happy life… Frigga had sent word to Loki, and they were waiting when she arrived.

Tony let go of Loki’s hand to rush forward, lifting her head into his lap and brushing his fingers through her hair just as his mother had done for him so many years go.

Pepper was frowning, her brows pulling together over her unlined face. She looked younger than she had the past few times that Tony had seen her when he checked up on Morgan, though she was older than she had been when Tony had died. The thought had him smiling– because she had found her happiness, just as he had always hoped that she would.

He heard movement around them– he looked up to see people he recognised as Pepper’s parents, he saw her grandparents– and more familiar faces, Rhodey, the other Avengers who had passed, even a few people he recognised as employees of SI. So many people that she had touched, that wanted to help make her passing easier.

He ran his hands through her silver-streaked strawberry hair once more, and he leaned down to whisper lightly.

“It’s okay, honey,” he said, his voice brimming with happiness. “You can open your eyes. This isn’t quite the rest you’re probably expecting, but it’s pretty good.”

“Tony?” she gasped, her eyes opening.

“Hey, Pep,” Tony grinned. It was an echo, a mirror, a brand new start– she looped her arms around his shoulders and he leaned down for a hug, holding her close. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” she gasped, clutching at his shirt. Unlike he had at the beginning, however, she didn’t ask any questions. She merely stared at him warmly as she leaned out of the close hug, her hands coming up to cup his cheeks. “I have a message for you.”

“From who?” Tony whispered– though of course, he already knew the answer.

Pepper knew it, too, and her smile was so soft. “She told me to let you know that she loves you three thousand.”

Tony closed his eyes, his breath rushing out of him.

“She remembered,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

“Of course she did,” Pepper replied. “You’re her dad, and she’s never going to forget you.”

It was a joy that couldn’t be named, something light and powerful and fiery and cool enough to soothe away any residual sadness. Oh, he would always regret what he had missed, but to know that she was happy, and that she _knew_ how loved she was… it felt like a weight was lifted from Tony’s shoulders, and as he opened his eyes, it wasn’t Pepper he looked to– but over her shoulder, to _Loki_.

Loki’s green eyes were soft, his smile watery but in that way that spoke of a happiness that could not be contained. His hands were at his side but slightly extended, as if he were unconsciously reaching– and Tony felt the desire to go to him as a light tug on his heart.

“I’ll never forget her, either,” Tony said, glancing back to meet Pepper’s gaze. “No matter how much things change, she’ll always be my girl.” His lips curved into a reassuring smile. “And so will you.”

Pepper understood immediately, just as Tony knew she would. “You found someone else,” she said, her smile shining in her eyes.

“You did, as well,” Tony remembered. He glanced down and, sure enough, the ring on her finger was not the one he had given her. “We both found our happiness.”

“We did,” Pepper agreed. “And Morgan, she’s happy as well. She went to college—”

“I know,” Tony said, cutting her off gently. “And you’re going to tell me all about her.”

“Everything,” Pepper promised.

“But not right now,” Tony said. “Because right now, there’s a whole lot of people who want to see you, and I think I’ve held on to you for far too long.”

She stared at him in confusion, but he merely glanced behind her—

And when she turned, her expression was stunned– then joyous. Yet still she seemed to hesitate.

“Go on,” Tony prompted her. “I’ll still be here.”

It seemed that was all she needed, for she dashed away from Tony and ran to her parents. Tony watched her for a moment, happy that she was happy. Then he went to push himself back to his feet, but before he could a pale blue hand appeared in his peripheral vision.

Grinning, he clasped it happily and let Loki pull him to his feet– and he used the momentum to go all the way, pressing right up against Loki’s chest and taking Loki’s other hand in his as well. When their lips pressed together the kiss remained chaste, but they didn’t need anything else in that moment– it wasn’t an affirmation, because they didn’t _need_ one. It was a gesture of affection, a gesture of _love_ , a single word in a language that they had long since forged between them.

Tony leaned into Loki’s hold, letting go of his hands only so that they could wrap their arms around each other. He leaned his head on Loki’s shoulder and Loki pressed his cheek to Tony’s head. Loki always felt cool like this, and Tony adored the fact that his beautiful lover was coming to love _himself_ a little more. He wondered if Loki had even noticed that he had turned into his Jötunn form– it was something that he did more and more frequently as he grew more comfortable, as if his appearance was shifting again.

He loved that Loki was feeling more and more comfortable, happy, _safe_. He loved that he had Loki here, in his arms, holding him close.

So long as it was in _many_ years time, Tony couldn’t wait for the moment that he would be able to introduce Loki and Morgan to each other, the two people that he loved most in the whole of existence.

That, he knew, would be his _happiest_ moment.

But, for now, he was more than content. He had almost his whole family, he had a man who loved him, and he had a home.

It had been a long road to get here, and they had lost so very much along the way. But watching Pepper with the people she had missed… well, it was proof of the fact that lost things can found again, if only one waits with a patient heart.

And in the end, when everything had been returned, when he had everything that he'd ever wanted, when he had found his happy ending?

For that, he knew his final sacrifice had been more than worth it.


End file.
